In the News
As reported by CNN, March 23, 2008.
Post-Cancer Pregnancy: 'Little Message That I Was Going To Live On'
By Judy Fortin
ATLANTA, Georgia -- Daphne Babrow's son, Evan, is only 5 months old and she's already thinking about getting pregnant again. The decision won't be easy.
At 41, Babrow is also a recent survivor of ovarian cancer. She feels lucky to be alive and doubly blessed to be a new mom. "I knew if I ever had a baby, it was God's little message that I was going to live on."
Babrow, a public health consultant from Fayetteville, Georgia, is
part of a growing number of cancer survivors who are not only
winning the battle against the disease, but who also are going on to
have safe and successful pregnancies.
"If you maintain some part of your fertility, pregnancy is
clearly an option," said Dr. Carolyn Runowicz, a gynecologic
oncologist and director of the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at
the University of Connecticut in Farmington.
Runowicz, a breast cancer survivor herself, has encouraging news
for many women who want to get pregnant when their disease is in
remission. She said, "It's absolutely possible depending on what
cancer you had."
There are no specific guidelines or timetables for women wanting
to get pregnant after cancer treatment, she said. Some breast cancer
survivors are told to wait at least two years to make sure
aggressive tumors don't recur.
"Pregnancy is an enormous surge of hormones," added Runowicz. "If
you have a cancer that is hormone sensitive, you just worry that you
can exacerbate a recurrence."
Runowicz warns patients up front that some cancers and cancer
treatments may leave a woman infertile. For instance, certain
chemotherapy and radiation procedures can send a woman into
premature menopause. Other gynecologic cancers may require removal
of reproductive organs.
For those reasons, Runowicz said, it is very important for women
to discuss fertility options with a doctor before undergoing cancer
treatments.
Unfortunately, she said, the conversation is sometimes forgotten
when a doctor delivers a cancer diagnosis. "Once you hear the three
words, 'You have cancer,' panic sets in. You feel like you need to
be treated yesterday and in that frame of mind, issues like
fertility are often not right up front."
Runowicz reassures patients by telling them, "Cancer is not an
emergency in most cases. They have time for a second opinion. They
have time to discuss fertility options."
In vitro fertilization is a popular choice for some women,
Runowicz said. However, she cautioned "it can be a lengthy and
expensive process. Both patients and doctors get nervous about the
built-in delay in cancer treatment."
It takes time to harvest a woman's eggs, fertilize them with
sperm and create an embryo that would be frozen for implantation
later on.
Fertility sparing is another option being offered to some women
at select cancer centers. Runowicz described one example: When
surgery is required, specific organs are removed and others are
spared, allowing a woman to remain fertile.
Babrow underwent emergency surgery when one of her ovaries
ruptured. The other ovary was saved. She knew her chances of having
a baby were small, and after learning she had cancer, getting
pregnant was the last thing on her mind.
"I was in a fight for my life, so that all the strength I had was
just cancer," Babrow said. "I had to fight it and I had to win."
Babrow endured three rounds of chemotherapy and survived a series
of complications. Not long after she learned she was in remission
she found out she was pregnant. She conceived without intervention
from a fertility specialist.
Her husband, Victor, was ecstatic, but worried. "I said, 'Please
God, don't let there be any complications with the baby, any birth
defects or miscarriage.' I was crossing my fingers."
Runowicz said it's natural for people to worry about those
issues, "but the reality is that the data don't show any higher
incidence of any malformations in women who have chemotherapy or in
men who have fathered babies after chemotherapy."
She recommends her patients undergo genetic testing and
counseling during the pregnancy.
She also encourages pregnant moms to seek treatment not just from
an obstetrician or high-risk pregnancy specialist, but also from an
oncologist.
Dr. Jessica Arluck of Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta,
Georgia, is Babrow's OB/GYN and part of the team that managed her
pregnancy.
"We went through all the risks with her and said we would work
with her and we would do everything we could. We were a team,"
Arluck said.
The efforts paid off. Babrow delivered a healthy baby boy in
November. "I counted the fingers and toes so many times I couldn't
believe it," she recalled. "Finally, I realized, it's true, I did
have a baby."
Now, Babrow is focusing on staying healthy so she can be around
to watch her son grow up. She admitted she worries about the cancer
coming back.
"The cancer diagnosis is not going to change -- it's for the rest
of my life," Babrow conceded.
It also weighs on her husband's mind, but Victor Babrow tries not
to dwell on the future. He's too busy helping raise his son. "After
all we went through, this is the pot of gold at the end of the
rainbow. We had to travel a long way to get there, but once we got
here it's the best gift we ever had."
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